Thibodaux distillery to open in early fall

Stephen Hood Correspondent

Wednesday

Jun 20, 2012 at 11:03 AM

Donner-Peltier Distillers, a Thibodaux distillery set to open in early fall, plans to make vodka and rum from local ingredients.

Donner-Peltier Distillers, a Thibodaux distillery set to open in early fall, plans to make vodka and rum from local ingredients.“This will be the only place in the world making vodka out of long grain rice,” co-owner Tom Donner said. The craft distillery at 1635 St. Patrick Highway has been in the works for more than two years and is the creation of two local couples, Dr. Donner and his wife, Beth, and Dr. Henry Peltier and his wife, Jennifer. After traveling the country touring mostly “mom and pop” distilleries, Tom Donner, a neurosurgeon, said he wanted to “go big.” “We have plans to be a big force on the market for a long time,” he said.Henry Peltier, a pediatrician, added the distillery would “still be local, hands on and craft made.”Similar to the burgeoning microbrew industry, the small-scale local distillery has begun to take hold throughout the country, according to the owners. “The craft (spirit) industry started small but has taken off recently. There is a lot of interest in unique local products,” Henry Peltier said.Old New Orleans Rum in New Orleans started up more than a decade ago, and another distiller, Louisiana Spirits in Lacassine, plans to begin production later this year.In Thibodaux, the owners said their biggest hurdle has been wading through the trenches of government bureaucracy. “There was a lot of paperwork,” Beth Donner said.“Lots of red tape,” Henry Peltier added. Because the distilling industry is relatively small in Louisiana, prospective distillers have to scrutinize archaic legislation enacted post-Prohibition, said Jason Sanner, lead distiller at Donner-Peltier Distillers. The owners expressed modest frustration with the amount of time it took to traverse the red tape, which can take many months. “Kudos to the government entities that helped us out,” Tom Donner said.“We just want to get our product out there for people to enjoy,” Henry Peltier said.The owners said they hope to go statewide and expand from there, but each state has different laws and regulations making the process time consuming. The owners said the first product to reach shelves will be a long grain rice vodka. The rice will come from Louisiana Rice Mill in Crowley. Sugar cane surrounds the distillery, and Lafourche Sugar in Thibodaux will be supplying the main ingredient for the rum, Tom Donner said. Preliminary plans for gin are under consideration, according to the owners. “It might get a little boring making vodka and rum all the time, so there is a possibility that we will make others in smaller batches,” Tom Donner said. Sanner, 37, a Houma native, has been distilling spirits for five years.“One thing I can say about Jason is that he is passionate about distilling,” Henry Peltier said. Always concocting new recipes, Sanner has a small garden behind the building where he intends to grow citrus trees and other ingredients not found locally. One of those is wormwood, a primary component in the production of absinthe. “If we can't buy it local, we want to grow it,” Sanner said. Renee Leblanc, 24, a teller at Community Bank and native of Houma, said she drinks rum while out, usually a Sex on the Beach, with either Bacardi or Captain Morgan rum. She said she would order local rum even if it were premium priced. Leblanc said she cares about buying local and buys local produce.Kat Pierron, a sales associate at Sunglass Hut, said she seldom drinks. But when she does, she drinks Grey Goose vodka. “If it tasted good, I'd definitely prefer it,” Pierron said about locally produced vodka. Pierron added she would prefer something local to keep her money circulating in the area.At night, the distillery plans on illuminating its copper still for spectators to gaze upon through a large window. The still has the capacity to produce 1,400 bottles a day.The still is made by Kothe, a company based in Mannheim, Germany. Kothe's still produces some of the highest quality spirits, according to the owners. The owners expect representatives from Kothe to be arriving soon to assist with the initial operation of the still. “This project has been in motion for a few years now, so it's exciting seeing it all come together,” Tom Donner said. The owners said Gov. Bobby Jindal recently signed a piece of legislation that legalized the tasting and sale of distilled spirits at the production site, similar to breweries and wineries. They added what was planned to be a gift shop and information counter is now going to be a bar that will allow visitors to taste the products. All hiring has been completed, and Donner-Peltier Distillers will employ about eight people full-time, according to the owners.Their products will be premium priced — think Grey Goose or Ketel One. The owners hope to have their products in local supermarkets as soon as possible. They're still in the licensing process, so they're not announcing the product names yet.

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